Woman Saves Husband's Life, Gives Birth Hours Later

Andrew Goette and his wife, Ashley, look at their baby, Lennon, at United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minn. (Jiwon Choi/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

(Newser)
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Ashley Goette, 39 weeks pregnant, was awoken on Oct. 16 by what she thought was her husband snoring. Soon, though, the 28-year old from West Saint Paul, Minn., realized something was wrong. Andrew Goette, also 28, was gasping for breath and turning blue as he went into cardiac arrest. Ashley called 911, NBC5 reports, and an operator walked her through giving CPR. Paramedics arrived and took Andrew to the hospital, where doctors induced a coma. In a Tuesday press conference, ABC reports, Ashley said she was terrified over her husband's condition. "I didn't want to have to think for one second about having to do any of this without him," she said. "I kept telling him the whole time he was asleep, or in his coma, that I was not going to have this baby until he woke up."

And, on Oct. 17, Andrew did wake up. Nurse Libby Remmers says she said, "Andrew, open your eyes," and he did. Ashley was delivering the baby by C-section, and Andrew wasn't allowed in the room. So he watched the birth of Lennon Andrew on FaceTime. The newborn was taken right to Andrew. "I was just excited to be able to get to hold him right away," Andrew said. Doctors credit Ashley with saving the life of her husband, who, per ABC, they believe has a condition called Wolff-Parkinson White syndrome that causes rapid heartbeat. "I think we're all a little nervous to go home," Ashley tells KMSP. But, she adds, "We're very anxious to get home." (Read more uplifting news stories.)